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"G. B. ELY, Decd.

H. G. ELY, Executor.

HOE BLANK.

No. 400,902. Patented Apr. .9, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. ELY, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT, EXECUTOR OF GEORGE E. ELY,DECEASED.

HOE-BLANK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,902, dated April 9,1889.

Application filed A gust '7, 1888. Serial No. 282,185. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that GEORGE B. ELY, deceased, late a resident of St. Johnsbury, in the county of Caledonia and State of Vermont, invented 5 anImprovement in Blanks for the Manufacture of Hoes, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

I This invention relates to the manufacture of hoes or similaragricultural implements, the object of the invention being to diminishthe cost of production by effecting a saving in labor and in thematerial used.

I Prior to this invention hoes have been made by forging a block orbillet to the approximate shape by hammering or molding in dies and thentrimming the blank thus formed to give it the proper outline for thefinished article. The blanks thus formed have then been subjected to atumbling process in cylinders for the purpose of removing scale andother irregularities and partially smoothing the surface preparatory tothe final finish by 2" grinding and polishing. When the blank istrimmed,prior to being operated upon in the cylinders, to the shapedesired for the finished h0enamely, with the lower or cutting edges andthe side edges intersecting at a sharp 3o angular corner-the tumblingprocess wears away and rounds off the corners, so that a considerableamount has to be ground off from the edges in order to bring the hoe tothe desired shape for the finished article, such grinding operationconsuming a considerable amount of time and labor, and thus materiallyadding to the cost of manufacture, and at the same time wasting aportion of the stock or material from which the hoes are 0 made. Theseobjections are overcome by the present invention, which consists intrimming the blank prior to subjecting it to the tumbling operation inthe cylinders with projecting portions at the corners properly pro- 4 5portioned with relation to the amount of wear in the tumbling operation,so that although said projecting portions become rounded in the tumblingoperation the intersection of the edges will be within the blank, and bygrinding off the small remaining portion of said projections the edgeswill be brought to a sharp intersection or corner, as required for thefinished product.

Figure 1 is a face view of a trimmed blank for a hoe having projectingportions to provide for wear in the finishing process in accordance withthis invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the blank after it hasbeen operated upon in the cylinders, showing by dotted lines the shaperequired for the finished article; and Figs. 3 and 4 are details of aportion of a blank as made prior to this invention at the same stages inthe manufacture as those represented in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

The blank to (see Fig. 1) may be made in the usual manner by forging apiece of steel to the approximate shape and then trimming its edges tothe desired outline for the fin ished article.

Prior to this invention the blanks were trimmed, as shown in Fig. 3,with the lower or cutting edge, 2, and the side edge, 3, both straightand intersecting at a sharp angle or corner, such as is required for thefinished article. When a blank shaped in this manner is subjected to thetumbling process in the cylinders prior to the final grinding andpolishing, the corners become worn off, as shown in full lines, Fig. 4,and in order to make the edges of the finished article meet in a sharpcorner a considerable portion has to be ground off from the, edges, asindicated in Fig. l, in which the dot-ted lines represent the shape ofthe finished hoe, which is attained by grinding off the portion betweenthe full and dotted lines around the edges. The operation of grindingoff a considerable portion of the material for the purpose of producinga sharp corner, as thus described, is eXpeno sive, making a considerableportion of the cost of finishing the hoe.

In order to save the time and labor required for grinding the edges, theblank is, in accordance with this invention, trimmed with pro- 5 jectingportions a. beyond the line of the main portion of the side edges, 3, ofthe blank and outside of the outline desired for the finished hoe. Whenthe blank a, having such projections a, is operated upon in the cylin-I00 ing in time in the subsequent grinding operation, there is also asaving in the stool: or material, as the material removed by trimmingmay be used again, while the material removed by grinding is practicallylost.

\Vhat is claimed is A hoe-blank having a finished form other- 15 wisethan the projecting portions (1 at the points of intersection of thesides of the plate with the edge thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two sub- 20 scribing witnesses.

HENRY G. ELY.

Witnesses:

A. B. Coon, J. G. P. HICKS.

